The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1887-07-07
Is the Bloody Shirt 10 Be PERI
DeIuated?

Tor tWenty-three years, but ! fird my
self bowed out at last Senator Sher-
man, Mr.. Blaine and the General with |
the palSies are too much for me. VIII
you tell me what the matter is with
the grand old party?
Well, if we were to tell you the
plain truth bluntly we should say tlat
the republican party has done its work
and now lives on its past record, with
nothing TO do in the future that can't
be better done by the democrats. 1t
was born to abolish slavery. Slavery
has been abolished And now the
party has taken a tumble from the top
OF a bold, aggressive craftsmanship to
the bottom Of a political machine,
The republican party is sectional,
not national. In its temperament as
well as its temper, in its policy as well
as its prejudices, it is limited by GER
tain geographical lines, 1t had its
origin in a noble and patriotic pur-
pose, but its first nourishment was
drawn from an abiding hatred OF
Southern institutions and the South
orn people. When the war was over
and the social evil which it combatted
had been uprooted it still held on
with grim tenacity to the same old
hatred, and that popularity is its fatal
weakness to-day, and one reason why
it would be unsafe to intrust the gov
eminent OF the whole people, includ-
ing the South, to its keeping,
1t cannot convince itself that the
fight has been really fought out to the
end. Though the old animosity be-
tween the two sectious Of our country
is dead and buried beyond possibility
OF resurrection, the republicans are
peering about under the impression
that it is only in hiding. There is no
doubt in any observing mind that the
South has honestly accepted the new
condition OF affairs and that its loyal
ty to the Union is even stronger than
it was previous to 1861, jvst as bro
ken arm when skilfully mended is
stronger than the old arm but the re-
publicans still talk OF Confederate
ideas, as though they were like dogs
Juggling at the chain to break it tina
they may fly at the throat OF the I'm
ion.
They bemean solid South, and ye
their insults are so frequent and thei
attitude is so hostile that the Soutl
must remain solid in self-defence. A
a gentleman from North Carolini
writes to us 1T is fact that m
real Union mainland the majority il
this section were of that stripe-wen
North or West during or immediatel
after the war and returned republi
can. Every man of them was drive
into the democratic party by blood
shirt abuse" Thes same is true to-day
The appeal of such men as Sherman
Blaine and the General with the pa
sizes is not to the patriotism of tn
country, but to its passions. The
motto is not that of Grant, "Let l
have peace" but that OF a Jacobil
"Give us more war, and then we ca
capture Washington"
This talk, for example, about ii
suppression of the Southern vote
pure buncombe. 1t is exciting, bl
false. However, tits excitement an
not the truth which these partisan
are after. The total vote in Mort
Carolina in 1884 was in round nun
bers 268,000 OF this 125,0O0 votC
were thrown for Blaine and 1886
for Cleveland. Twenty-seven coul
ties gave II majority for the republica
candidate, and the majority which IL
g. republicans had to overcome in IL
whole State was about $4,000.
That is very odd showing. Do yC
think it looks very much like suppre
sion? Would it appear from the
figures that murder and every form
violence had been resorted to keep V
ters from the polls? You will scare
in vain for any traces of coercion
an election which showed that near
forty-seven per cent OF all the vot
cast were for Blaine while fifty-thrC
per cent were for Cleveland. The
must, therefore, be Il motive for IL
statement that menaces are rampa
in the South, that ballot boxes a
| surrounded by ruffians, and that m
! tive is, of course, the desire to ma
capital by the fermentation of old
sues.
! Southerners and Northerners are o
people with mighty future befC
> them, and there is no earthly reas
/ for sectional irritation. Northe
Q capital and Southern enterprise d
= being hitched to the same team
draw wealth ont of the oronnd